6 Best Ramen in Boston To Go Mad About

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In light of the upcoming arrival of NYC’s famed Totto Ramen in Allston, I choose six ramen bowls that prove to be the hottest, the most outrageous and the most original in Boston. Some stay true to the rigid ramen lore, while some treat the dish like a blank canvas prone to imaginative flairs. It seems all is fair in love, war and, ahem, ramen.

Shrimp hot oil and miso paste are combined to create the harmonious broth of umami and heat. The round noodles absorb the hot broth in every mouthful. Add a cube of butter ($0.50), wakame seaweed ($0.50), and seasoned boiled egg ($1.50) for a fuller spiced-up experience.

This hole-in-the-wall cocktail bar may be inventive with its booze, but when it comes to ramen, it has never been more traditional. It is straight-up pork bone-broth ramen with pork belly and poached egg that wins many hearts. Not enough pork? Opt for extra bacon ($3).

The one-hour wait here is righteous; hand-pulled noodles in rich soup spiked with pork fat and a whole lot of chopped garlic. Five thick slices of pork belly chashu basically melt in your mouth, while cabbage and bean sprouts provide crunch. Few can finish the ginormous portion, but all leave the restaurant happy.

The lovechild of Japanese ramen and Texas-style barbecue comes in a big bowl of noodles and smoky pork belly doused in creamy tonkotsu broth. The Monday ramen menu here rotates frequently, but always has a Southern smokehouse touch. Don’t miss the soy-pickled egg with luscious runny yolk and creamy white.

Who knew you could get ramen at a neighborhood bistro in Newton? Linguini-like house-made noodles and tender Berkshire chashu are textbook ramen, but seaweed butter and chicory kimchi transform this bowl into something phenomenal.